


Three Times

by torombolo



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Jeronica, Vughead, jeronica week
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 12:17:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16492457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torombolo/pseuds/torombolo
Summary: Three separate times it occurred.After the first time, Jughead was angry.After the second time, Veronica was bitter.And on the third time, they both knew something had changed.





	Three Times

The first time it happened, Jughead got angry. It was midnight. The soft glow of the neon lights cast harsh shadows upon the boy’s sunken-in face. He was hallow, gaunt, his paler-than-normal skin dusted with a red hue, his eyes downcast and fingers typing furiously at his keyboard.

Manic. That was his feeling of choice at the moment. Or maybe he didn’t have a choice. Maybe it was the dark and frenzied atmosphere that had taken over the small town of Riverdale that forced his maniacal behaviour.

Surrealism plagued the town with pep, starting with the murder of Jason Blossom, strengthening through the Black Hood, climaxing with the Lodges’ takeover, and, finally, culminating in the sinister game of Griffins and Gargoyles that created an obsession within his peers.

He kept glancing over his shoulder, waiting for another teenager to show up, another attempt to lure him into the game from which there was only one exit. He needn't worry, though. The only people in the diner were himself, Hog-eye bartending downstairs, Reggie in the kitchen, and Veronica manning the register.

He was the only customer. It wasn’t abnormal these days for Pop’s to be bare. Ever since Veronica outlawed the game from being played within her establishment, the only people who frequented the diner were the occasional passers-through, some of the older citizens, and himself.

He looked over to the register. Veronica was chewing her lip, something he had realized she’d been doing much more often lately. He knew she was worried, that Pop’s was hemorrhaging cash, that her new gem La Bonne Nuit, was a ghost town, save for the occasional Serpent or Fred, who would show up to pay for service he didn’t need simply out of pity for his son’s paramour. Or maybe it was to escape the loneliness of sitting in an empty house.

That was what Pop’s was now, after all. An escape. Not the escape Veronica had originally promised, one free of the mundane activities of normal life, one of excitement and fun. No, this was an escape from the chaos surrounding them. An escape from the crippling loneliness felt when your life was falling apart and everyone was too preoccupied to care.

Speaking of the underage owner, she had seen better days. She, too, was carrying the stress of her current situation on her face, her cheeks gaunt, dark circles invading the space under her eyes. He narrowed his eyes at her, watching as she was bent over a ledger, no doubt trying to find ways to keep Pop’s from going under merely months after she bought it.

She glanced up at him.

“What, Jones?” she snapped at him, and the harsh sound brought him from his deep thoughts.

He shook his head, muttering ‘never mind’ under his breath and returned his attention back to his laptop.

Veronica rolled her eyes, and tapped her heels upon the ground. Finally, she made a decision, taking off her apron and slinging it over the counter top as she made her way over to the only occupied booth in the diner.

She slid in opposite her friend, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she put her head in her hands, massaging at her temples, no doubt trying to ward off an oncoming headache. She had been doing a lot of that lately too.

Jughead finished typing his final thought, saved his document, and closed his laptop. He looked up at her again, assessing the girl in front of him.

They had never been close friends. ‘The Core Four,’ everyone had called them, but it was really Archie and Betty holding all of them together. And with Archie in juvenile prison and Betty trying to infiltrate the farm, it just left the two of them.

Initially it had been awkward. They both felt obligated to be friendly to one another, to act concerned about each other’s lives. Small talk plagued their conversations. But they had overcome that obstacle. Now, they were able to settle into a comfortable coexistence with one another, sitting in silence, brief nods, the occasional and rare smile.

“How late are you working?” he asked, falling back into the trap of small talk, but genuinely curious nonetheless.

She looked up, her hair frazzled from where she had been massaging her temples.

“Maybe another hour. It’s not as if I need to be here,” she said, giving him a tight smile. “But I’ve been doing my best to make sure I don’t go home until my parents are asleep. I’m about to send Reggie home, too. No use wasting payroll when you don’t have customers to float it.”

He grimaced, not knowing how to react to her blunt statement. He wasn’t good at handing out optimistic quips or pieces of advice, so instead he just chose to nod. They sat there in silence for another few minutes, neither talking, but neither distracted by anything else, when the bell above the door rang. 

Veronica swiveled around and Jughead arched his neck to see what other lonely heart dragged their way to the desolate diner tonight. At the sight of the patron, Veronica shot up, steeling herself.

“Ethel, we’re closed,” Veronica stated determinedly, before marching over to the “Open” sign and quickly turning it off.

Ethel smiled. It wasn’t a warm smile, or a sad smile. It wasn’t a smile of greeting or welcoming. It was a sinister smile, one that Jughead had grown accustomed to seeing from the girl. This wasn’t the first time she had entered the diner, trying to persuade Veronica to open her doors to the glory that was Griffins and Gargoyles. And each time Veronica shut her down, Ethel seemed to get that much more persistent.

“But you have a customer, Veronica,” she stated airily, nodding toward Jughead. “And the diner is open 24 hours a day.”

Veronica bristled. “Today it isn’t. Now, please, see yourself out.” She turned away from the girl, walking back to the register to appear to be closing up for the night. Jughead started packing up his laptop and shoved it in his backpack. Ethel remained where she was.

“He’s not happy with you, you know,” she stated, an edge to her voice.

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Who, your mighty king?” she scoffed, not looking up.

“He wants you, Veronica. He says you’re essential to his mission. He’s waiting for you, Veronica, right outside.”

Veronica looked up, for the first time listening to what her classmate had to say. She stared at Ethel for a few moments before quickly grabbing phone out of her pocket, and sending a message to Reggie and Hog-eye, telling them to exit quietly through the back door and immediately get into their cars.

Jughead remained still, looking back and forth between the two women, before diverting his attention to the window, glancing outside for any sign of movement.

“Ethel, what are you talking about?” she asked slowly.

“You’re the key, Veronica. He has his Blossom ranger in Cheryl, and his Keller cleric in Kevin. He can’t get to Archie, Jughead proved he was unworthy, and Betty isn’t good enough to play,” she finished with a glint in her eye. “But Cheryl and Kevin aren’t enough. He needs his Gomez Rogue. In order for his plan to be fully realized, he needs at least three ”

Veronica stood still. She was trying to keep a calm and composed demeanor, but from his angle, Jughead could see her white knuckles gripping the side of the counter top.

“He needs three what, Ethel?” she spoke coolly.

Ethel smiled up at her, tilting her head. “I can’t speak for the king, but you can ask him yourself,” she said, slowly turning her body and pointing to the parking lot.

Jughead whipped around in his seat and looked outside. In the single street light, he saw him again. The creature. Made of sticks and looming at least seven feet tall. He got up, pulling his backpack on his shoulders.

“Veronica, we need to leave. Now,” he stated, walking over to her. He pushed Ethel out the door and locked the deadbolt. He turned back to Veronica who remained at the register, staring outside.

“I…” she started.

“My bike is parked out back. Get Hog-Eye and Reggie and tell them we’re leaving.”

She nodded, slowly coming back to the present. “They’re gone. I text them. I heard the door shut out back.”

Jughead nodded, taking long strides over to her. She grabbed her purse from under the counter, running to the back wall and arming the building.

“I don’t have a ride. I haven’t had time to call the driver,” she said, grabbing Jughead’s arm and pulling him through the kitchen. “I’ll have to ride with you.”

He nodded, ushering her out the back door. She grabbed the key to the diner and was attempting to lock the back door, but her hands were shaking, causing the process to take longer than they could afford.

“Dammit, Veronica, lock the damn door!” he loudly whispered, looking around for signs of the monstrosity.

“I’m trying!” she muttered back, finally getting the lock in and turning the key.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from the side of the building, accompanied by the eerie giggles of Ethel. They both turned toward the noise and saw a shadow heading toward the back of the diner.

Jughead pulled her roughly by the elbow to his bike, throwing her the helmet. “Get on,” he said. 

“I haven’t got the helmet fastened yet,” she wailed, fumbling with the buckle.

“No time, put it on while we’re driving. We have to go now!” he said, picking her up by the waist and dropping her onto the back of the bike. He started it up and reached behind him, taking her hands and wrapping them around his waist before kicking it off the stand and racing away.

After several minutes of driving, Veronica leaned forward and yelled in his ear. “Where are you taking us?” she asked.

“To the trailer. I don’t know where else to go. Minetta won’t be any help,” he shouted back over his shoulder.

“No, you have to take us to the Pembrooke,” she shouted, moving her hand up to his shoulder and gripping it for emphasis.

“Are you crazy?!” he cried back. 

“Pull over, Jughead!” she shouted, needing a break from the wind which was making the conversation difficult. Jughead shook his head. She made a frustrated face at him. “Pull over!” she demanded again, this time punching his back.

Jughead veered off the road and pulled into an alcove, keeping the bike running in case they needed a quick getaway. He turned on her quickly, anger and fear in his eyes. When he saw her worried expression, his face softened.

“We have to go to the Pembrooke, Jughead. I have to tell my parents,” she plead. 

“I think my dad knows about this! We need to talk to him! He should be back at the trailer in a couple hours and we’ll wait there for him until then,” he exclaimed, frustrated and anxious.

“Ethel said Gomez,” she stated softly, looking down at her lap and wringing her hands.

“What?” he asked, confusion evident in his voice.

“Gomez, Jughead. It’s my mom’s maiden name. She,” she started to say, before cutting herself off. “Look, Jughead, I know my dad tried to murder you. I have that looming over me every day. But she said Gomez, and although my parents don’t care about your life, they do mine. He won’t hurt you while your with me.”

Jughead stayed silent, weighing his options, chewing on the side of his mouth in thought.

“Please,” she said, looking up at him. “I need my parents.” Her eyes, which were previously watery, now had tears rolling from them. He knew she was scared. She was beginning to shake, not prepared for a ride on the back of the bike. Jughead leaned forward, shrugging his jacket off his shoulders and shoving it ungracefully into her hands.

“I’m dropping you off, then. I’m not going in there. He tried to murder me, Veronica,” he stated, trying to relay empathy but coming off bitter and resentful.

“God, I know Jughead! I think about it every day, how much better off everyone would be if I didn’t move into this cursed town! Archie wouldn’t be in jail! Fangs wouldn’t have gotten shot! You wouldn’t have been beaten within a fucking inch of your life! Hundreds of people wouldn’t have been displaced from their homes!” With each sentence, Veronica’s voice got louder and louder until she was shouting.

Jughead just stared at her, watching her openly cry now, until a noise from the treeline caught his attention. He silenced her tirade with a hand over her mouth. She looked indignant at first before another sound occurred. Both took a sharp intake of breath and stood motionless, waiting to see what would appear.

Suddenly, a deer appeared from the woods, running across the road. They both relaxed, the tension melting slightly from their shoulders. They were both shaking violently now. Veronica leaned forward and rested her head against Jughead’s back. He shook her off and got off the bike, standing in front of her, and then pulling her head back down to his chest. She started crying again, emotions from the past hour overwhelming her, along with the memories of her father’s sins being brought to the surface.

Jughead wasn’t one for comfort. He internalized so many of his problems, and did better with others when they would do the same thing. That’s why his relationship with Betty worked so well. They both clutched to all their demons, holding them tightly and possessing them, not letting them out save for certain moments of darkness and recklessness.

Veronica continued to cry silently, her breaths now coming in short bursts. She was starting to hyperventilate. 

“Veronica, you have to calm yourself down. You’re going to get light-headed and you can’t be passed out on the back of a motorcycle.” His words had no effect on the girl, whose breathing continued to come in short irregular bursts. Jughead scowled, not feeling comfortable with this open display of emotion, and feeling anxious to get to his house. He’d even settle for the Pembrooke at this point, anything to get out from the open.

He crouched down to be eye level and grabbed her head, lifting it up harshly. “You have to pull yourself together,” he said forcefully. “I’ll go with you to the Pembrooke but you have to snap out of it.”

She continued to cry, her skin blotchy, eyes puffy, and mascara running down her cheeks. Her breathing only quickened before she launched herself forward, shoving her lips against his.

Jughead didn’t have time to react. Veronica was kissing him. It was wet and uncoordinated, much sloppier than the kiss they shared in the hot tub in Shadow Lake. He did not know what to expect from Veronica, but it wasn’t this. After a few moments, he shoved her back.

Gripping her shoulder tightly, he said accusingly, “Don’t do that again.” His jacket, which had fallen to the ground, was quickly scooped up by the boy and shoved back into Veronica’s hands. “Put it on. You’re going to get sick, and then your dad might actually kill me. I’m taking you to the Pembrooke, but I’m only talking to your mother. Hiram has to stay in his room.”

Veronica nodded dazedly, her breath starting to return to normal, as she slipped the jacket on her shoulders.

He pulled her arms back around him and took off toward the lion’s den. He thought, for the first time, that a lion may be safer than a gargoyle.

That was the first time it happened, the first time they kissed outside of a stupid statement, and Jughead hated her for it.


End file.
